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This is the Rainsong WS100, a carbon fiber acoustic guitar. The label says John Decker, Woodinville, WA. The first thing I noticed is how cool this guitar looks. It has this awesome carbon fiber layering or pattern to the top which makes it look all industrial , but then there is this beautiful abalone rosette giving it a more balanced organic feel. There are also neat little shark inlays on the neck.

The Rainsong has good projection and tends towards the upper midrange. The bass response is very firm and clear, a nice sound… I like it. The neck is shallow and slick giving you fast excellent action. Hey, you can even leave it the car or take to backyard jams not worry about it warping.

The Rainsong has good projection. The bass is very firm and clear. There are also neat little shark inlays on the neck

This is a 14 fret Collings Mahogany Dreadnaught. Of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story. There is the beautiful spruce top with swirling figuring almost like “bear claw” pattern, the comfortable “C” neck and the subtly elegant build quality throughout. This guitar has a robust bass response and nice zinging highs, hard to get in one guitar. There is a nuanced feel to light picking , but it firms up when you dig in hard. I really enjoyed playing this guitar. I wish I could sit and play it for a couple of hours. There’s a lot to discover in this guitar …very, very nice

This guitar has a robust bass and nice zinging highs. I wish I could sit and play it for a couple of hours. There’s a lot to discover in this guitar.

The G&L Broadcaster is a version of the ASAT guitar made by G&L. The really cool thing about this guitar is that you get a certificate stating that Leo Fender inspected it and signed the neck pocket. The significance of the name goes way back to the first Fender production electric Spanish guitar which shared the Broadcaster name. Gretsch owned the name “BroadKaster” and this forced Leo and company to change the name of their original guitar. Naming this guitar the “Broadcaster” was kind of a publicity thing and the legend is that Gretsch again asked that they stop using the name and 800 and something were made before this happened. Others have said that Leo (that’s Mr. Fender to you…!) just got tired of signing the labels. So, pick your myth and we’ll carry on. The G&L Broadcaster is a Telecaster shaped guitar. Very “up town” in it’s all black finish and black hardware. The maple neck has the famous “gun oil tint” and that gives it an old worn in look. The finger board is ebony and pretty flat. The back of the neck has a slight “V” at the nut which flattens out towards the body.
The pickups are the large “MFD” type. They have the strong magnets with less windings, hence less inductance which equals a clear full sound. I think maybe this is the pickup Mr. Fender was looking for all these years. The guitar tends towards the bright side, but that is balanced with a good bass response. I really like playing it, shifting the 3 position switch and working the very functional tone control gives you a wide palate. I’d take this to any jam, but because of the “Leo” signature I think this would have to stay at home. What a shame. Nice guitar.

The guitar tends towards the bright side, but that is balanced with a good bass response. I really like playing it, shifting the 3 position switch and working the very functional tone control gives you a wide palate.

The Circa OM acoustic guitar by John Slobod. What a privilege to be able to play this instrument. This handmade OM model acoustic guitar almost eludes description, yea it’s that good. Made from Panamanian Rosewood with an Adirondack spruce top it just oozes old guitar coolness.
It’s hard to relate how this guitar felt, you know, like I had played it all my life and never wanted the experience to end. The OM shape is very comfortable and the neck feels so right in your hand. The top notes are clear and ring full. When my thumb came into play on the bass strings, I was stunned at the loudness. Even with this bass happening, the sound was balanced and musical. Shimmering reverb, expressive one note lines, words and pictures kind of fail when talking about a sound like this… a new color in the rainbow, the Circa OM.

The OM shape is very comfortable and the neck feels so right in your hand. The top notes are clear and ring full. When my thumb came into play on the bass strings, I was stunned at the loudness. Even with this bass happening, the sound was balanced and musical. Shimmering reverb, expressive one note lines, words and pictures kind of fail when talking about a sound like this… a new color in the rainbow

The Gibson J200 Jr acoustic guitar is a knockout. This is a slightly less flamboyant version of the “King of the Cowboys” guitar. The moustache bridge is a little less fancy and the fingerboard is unbound. It has a chunky but comfortable neck profile.
The woods on this guitar are beautiful. Very nice grain on the spruce top and the back is a stunner.
The sound really projects from this instrument. It has the clear unadorned sound of Maple. At first I thought it was thin, but then I started to hear this reinforcing fundamental tone reverberating and you know, it became kind of addicting. It is a good picker for sure, but it also lends itself nicely to vocal accompaniment.

At first I thought it was thin, but then I started to hear this reinforcing fundamental tone reverberating and you know, it became kind of addicting.